After this issue the Bolton Hill Bulletin takes a summer break and will resume publication in September. Thanks to Atticus Rice, Kylie Perotti, Marci Yankelov, David Nyweide, Peter Van Buren and a host of others for getting us to this point. As we approach the fall we look forward to your ideas, feedback and volunteering.
–The Editor
A new look for an old neighborhood gazebo
Neighbors are reviving efforts to restore the gazebo and repair the brick plaza on the 1700 block of Linden Avenue. The plaza dates back to July 1, 1979, after the Linden Avenue Association (LAA) saved the block from the city’s urban renewal efforts, as featured recently in Baltimore Heritage’s five-minute histories.
So far, LAA has raised $400 from neighbors on the block, with hopes of raising at least $3,000 to start the refurbishment. With a specification sheet from Budeke’s Paint for the chemical stripper, primer, and top coat, LAA members are working now to choose a new color palette in line with historic Victorian colors and will apply for several grants this fall. If you would like to donate, you can send funds through Paypal to linden.avenue.association@gmail.com. If you are interested in volunteering or want more information about the project, send an email to the same address. Thank you.
How to recycle when there is no DPW recycling pickup
An epidemic of COVID-19 infections among Department of Public Works (DPW) sanitation workers has caused them to suspend curbside recycling collections for the month of June. DPW will accept recycling deliveries at its Remington drop-off facility, 2840 Sisson Street, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Sunday.
Midtown Baltimore, our tax-supported benefits district, will have a one-time pick up recycling for Bolton Hill Residents on Thursday, June 18, at 9-10 a.m. at Sumpter Park (Laurens and Linden streets) and at 10-11 a.m. at John Street Park, John Street at Lovely Lane. Items must be in paper bags or boxes (no plastic sacks) and must be handed over – not left at the park. Wear a mask and practice social distancing at both locations and at the DPW site, as well.
Bolton Hill Nursery closed for summer, will open in September
We have appreciated the deep support so many Bolton Hill Neighbors have offered us since, due to the pandemic, we were forced to close our doors on March 13, 2020. Since then, many have wondered: when will Bolton Hill Nursery be back in business?
Bolton Hill Nursery’s board has voted not to operate a summer program this year. “With social distancing still a strong norm – and the City continuing to lag behind the State in the metrics needed for a confident and safe entry into the Governor’s Phase Two — we are not confident we can open safely in time to provide care for children in July and August,” said the nursery’s director, Beth Casey.
“But we will open for the school year come September! Teachers will return to work on 9/1/20. The first day of school for all children will be the day after Labor Day, Tuesday, September 8, 2020,” she said. “We thank our neighbors so much for the outpouring of support sent our way since March. We have felt every ounce of it this spring and early summer.”
An update on Park Pharmacy
In last month’s Bulletin much was made of this being the 50th anniversary year of the Park Avenue Pharmacy. But reader Merry Rogers, who has lived in Bolton Hill for a very long time, reports that a pharmacy or “drug store” has been on that site since well before 1970. Anyone remember its former name?
“When I was a child there was a long counter to the left as you entered where you could get lunch, buy a soft drink or get an ice cream sundae,” she wrote. But she does not remember the original name. Today’s owner, Tariq Syed, reports that Baltimore Police have arrested and plan to charge a suspect in the April robbery that took place at the store.
Crime is down in our neighborhood, says BPD
Reported crime in the neighborhood, never as much of a problem as in some other parts of the city, slipped substantially through the first third of the year, according to statistics circulated by the Baltimore Police Department
The number of property crimes in Bolton Hill for the 12 months ending April 30, 2020, was 37, down from 50 for the same period a year earlier. Of those, 24 were categorized as larceny, which generally includes theft from cars left unlocked and items left in yards, on porches and in garages. In the month of April there were four reported robberies, one burglary and five cases of larceny, according to BPD.
There were five robberies, two assaults and eight burglaries during the recent 12-month period, compared to 13, 2 and 7 the previous year, the police data indicated. Categorized by BPD as violent crimes, these were down by 53 percent and property crimes were down 26 percent year-over-year. Police continue to encourage residents to report to 911 all criminal or suspicious activity.
Brandon Scott’s promises and visions
Although he continues to serve as City Council President for the rest of the year, Democratic mayoral nominee Brandon Scott, who received only 30 percent of the votes cast in the multi-candidate primary, is likely to become the next mayor. The Baltimore Sun endorsed Scott and posted an extensive interview with him that spells out his hopes and promises. Few people have actually seen it, but it is worth a watch. What you see is what you get.
The Maryland Film Festival goes virtual
Artscape, Boltonstock and the Inner Harbor July 4 fireworks are gone, but the Maryland Film Festival endures. Since June 12 and through the 21st, films that normally required a walk or ride over to Station North Arts District are available in your home: 17 feature films and 15 shorts. For details on the schedule and how to stream the films, click here.
Vacant 25 Years, now luxury apartments on Eutaw Place
Four four-story former townhouses that date to the 1880s have recently come on the market as high-end rentals after sitting as an abandoned neighborhood eyesore for a quarter century.
Consolidated into one address at 1214 Eutaw, the renovated units offer wooden floors, natural lighting, open kitchens and (some) fireplaces. Unfurnished rentals for 6 months to two years start at $925 for studios to $1650 a month for two-bedroom units. Former President Woodrow Wilson is said to have lived in that block while a PhD student at Johns Hopkins University in the 1880s.
As a historical building, the developers were not required, and did not try, to offer parking in an already-crowded stretch of Eutaw that corners with West Lanvale.
Ban on utility and internet cutoffs extended to July 1
The governor has extended a moratorium forbidding electric, gas, water, sewage, phone, cable TV and internet service provider companies from shutting off any residential customer’s service or charging any residential late fees. The order remains in effect through July 1. Details are here.
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